Mechanical handling device



June 8, 1943.` D, R, KEAGY 2,321,300

MECHANIGAL. HANDLING DEVICE Original Filed June 20. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet1 .DHV/D R. KEHGY June 8, 1943. D, R. KEAGY MECHANICAL HANDLING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet 2A Original Filed June 20, 1941 INVENTOR.

nav/o R. KEHGY Patented June S, 1943 j ai oFrios Eaton ManufacturingCompany, Cleveland, Ollio, a corporation of Ohio substituted forabandoned application Serial No. 398,932, June 20, 1941. Thisapplication August 3, 1942, SBIall N0. 453,323

(ci. 21g-'1.1)

Claims.

This invention relates to `conveyor mechanisms in general, and, moreparticularly, concerns a novel mechanism for use as a mechanicalhandling device in the manufacture of small articles, such as lockwashers and the like. This application is a substitute for abandonedapplication Serial No. 398,932.

Heretofore in the manufacture and processing of small articles handlingof large quantities of the articles in commercial production has beenadequately accomplished in related stages of processing by the use ofsmall so called ftote pans, round containers, or trucks. This has provedquite satisfactory except for certain articles, for example lock-washersand the like, which require heat treatment or tempering duringmanufacture, and such operation renders inconvenient the subsequentimmediate manual handling of the hot article receptacles. It is simpleenough to manually handle and empty several small tote pans of thearticles to be heat treated when sent to the furnace, using as many pansas necessary to ll a larger container which receives the articles and isplaced bodily in the furnace. p and its contents are taken from thefurnace, or othei` elevated temperaturel operation, as an oil temperingbath, that immediate manual handling thereof is impossible. The presentinvention provides a means for obviating such diniculties by means of anovel mechanic-'a1 handling mechanism;

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a mechanicalhandling mechanism, including a rotatable conveyor means, arranged toreceive a bulk article container therein and bodily rotate the loadedcontainer and discharge its contents into a selected receptacle; theprovision in a device' as' described above, of auniversal handling meansfor reception and automatic retention of round or elongated rect-angulartruck-type bulk article containers of variable sizes; the provision in amechanism as above described of an automatic stopping and reversingmeans for returning the movable dumping mechanism to its initialposition after complete discharge of the article content.

Further and other objects andadvantag'es of the present invention residein the novel combination and arrangement of parts about to be described,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming la partof this specicaticn, and pointed out with particularity intheappededlimInth'fe'` drawingslilset referencecharacters de"- l-lowever, it is whenvthe hot container notepcorresponding parts throughout the severalviews', and in which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational View of a preferred vform of apparatusofthe 4present invention With a tot-e truck inV initial position thereinand other portions broken away to show details, and illustrating, inbroken lines, the dumping mechanism in extended position; and

Fig. 2 is a topplan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; andy Fig. 3is a partiallyV sectional sideelevatiorral View of the apparatus' shownin Fig. 2 and revealing, inV broken lines, a bulk article container inposition therein.

Figs. 4` and 5' disclose plan and elevational views, respectively, ofv.an alternative form of con; tainer retaining meansl In thev drawingsthe mechanical handling apparatus is designated generally by thereference numeral '5, and, more-particularly, has a simple framework orskeleton Superstructure' E consisting of spaced rectangularn shapedplates I and a motor support 8 disposed parallel thereto and adjacentthe outside face of one of said plates. The plates 'I serve as journalsfor mounting'a rotatable shaft I0; which may be ilatte at' its centralportion and non-rotatably iixedly threaded through reinforcements I2fixed to the back of* a cambered apron or pouring spout I4 on one sideofthe open top sheet metal box I5. As shown in the end view Fig. 1, oneofthe end yplates 'I has are'ctangula'r openingv Il out therein of a' sizecomparableto pass a small portable tote truck I8 therethrough, and inAline with this opening is a second opening' ofy similarv size throughthe adjacent Wall of thebox' I5 for receiving the truck' completelyWithin theconines thereof. A' track member I9' on the bottom of the boxvhas a V shaped entrance Imouth 20'for centering the truck in the opening.and keeping it inline as thetruck' is moved `conlpletely Within theouter margins ofthe box. A secondshort piece of track 2| on the bottomof' the box I5 and suitably locatedthere'onis for a purpose" to bepresently described.' A"pa'ir oi rods25 longitudinally spaced, asshownfin Fig; 3, and extended transversely' into opposite Walls of thebox I5 at a heig-ht'toconveniently receive the tote `truck I3 as shownin Fig; 1, serve as a retaining means toy prevent the truck dropping outof the box when itis rotated to extended position for discharging thebulk contents.

As atorementioned the boxr I5 was designedito function somewhatuniversally, that iisto say, forI receptionv 0f' either" an elongatedtype rectangular tote truck I8 or a round container 26 as shown inbroken lines in Figs. 2 and 3. Such containers 26 are generally used forhandling of small bulk articles in tempering furnaces, which are chargedfrom the top, being picked up and removed from the furnace by means of acrane. In this instance after coming from the drawing operation 'in thefurnace the round container is hot and charged with hot treated articlesand is mechanically set down in the box I by a crane in position betweenthe rods 25, as shown. -v It will now be apparent that the short pieceof track 2|, previously mentioned, serves as a foot for the bottom ofthe `containe'r'which rests in part on the other piece of track I9 andis thus supported in level position. It-will also be apparent a secondset of rods a, similar to rods 25 and disposed vertically thereabove,are located so as to be approximately in line withthe cared for by therods 25a and hooks 21 thereon.

In cer-tain instances it may be desirable to employ a rod 41 slidablysupported on the upper transverse rods 25a, by loosely vformed eyes uponopposite ends of the rod 41 wound over the rod 25a,.instead of theaforementioned hook means 21, as optional means for automaticallyretaining the container 2E in the box I5, when it is rotated intodumping position. It will be apparent that as the box I5 and container26 therein are rotated into dumping position the rod 41 which is looselyand slidably supported on the rods 25a, will slide down over the rim ofthe container 26 and automatically maintain it in position in the boxI5. Upon reverse rotation ofthe box I5 to its original position the rodA1 need only, be moved back'out of the way from ver the-rim ofA thecontainer in order to effect the removal thereof by a crane or otherlifting device. `f f The motor support 8 has a motor 35 of thereversible type secured thereto which may have a gear reduction box andcoupling (not shown) on the motor shaft for driving a Wormer pinion gear3| at selected speeds. Meshed with the gear 3l is a large worm or spurgear 32 of suitable diameter, commensurate with the speed desired, andwhich is keyed or otherwise fixed on one end of the rotatable shaft I0., Manual switch means 34 control the starting and stopping of themotor while a limit control and reversing mechanism about to bedescribed, regulates the safe extent of travel of the dumping mechanismand return to its initial position. In this instance a dog or -pawl 36on the inside of the large gear wheel 32, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3,is arranged to actuate va limit control and reversing switch 38 securedto the adjacent face of frame .plate 1 when the box I5 has reached thedesired safe dumping position, and thereafterl to cause the reversiblemotor to return the mechanism to its initial position where a switch 39stops the operation. I

The operation of the device. is as follows: A tote truck full of f smallarticles is wheeled into theV opening in the side of the conveyor boxand the motor started to actuate the box and bodily rotate it and thetruck into dumping position to discharge its contents into a roundcontainer, in position as shown in Fig. 1; which container is thenpicked up by a crane and introduced into the furnace or other heattempering operation. Upon removal from the furnace, the hot containerand its contents are deposited by a crane into the box I5, as shown inFig. 2, and the tote truck or other selected container placed where thecontainer 2li was originally placed as shown in Fig. 1. W The box andround container charged with hot articles is then bodily rotated, as inthe previous instance, to discharge its contents into the waiting truck.It will be apparent no handling of hot articles after removal from the,furnace is necessary and the operator has full control of the dumpingmechanism to discharge all or any selected portion of the contents intoone or more separate containers. Likewise, various size furnacecontainers and tote trucks may beused, within the limits of the design,without alteration of the combination dumping means.

From the foregoing disclosures it will be apparent there has beenrevealed a novel mechanical handling device which may be used in theprocessing of small articles, although it is not the intention to belimited to the specic use or embodiment of the invention hereindescribed, which is merely for purposes of illustration, as manymodifications will now suggest themselves in actual practice to thoseskilled in the art to which this invention relates, and formal modi;cations may-be made without departing from the spirit and substance ofthe invention as defined -by the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A mechanical handling mechanism for emp*- tying a receptacle chargedwith a plurality of bulk articles, said mechanism comprising aframework, powered means within said framework adapted for reception ofthe loaded receptacle, said powered means constituting a receptaclereceiving means having a pair of spaced opposite side walls forreception of a round container, spaced rod means fixed transverselythrough said pair of opposite walls of said receptacle receiving meansand mounting gravity actuated means automatically operable uponoperation of the mechanism to retain said container in fixed position,and means for rotating said receptacle receiving means to discharge itscontents while retaining the empty receptacle therein to be returned toits initial position.

2. A mechanical handling mechanismior emptying-a receptacle charged withva plurality of bulk' articles, said mechanism comprising a framework,powered means within said frame' work'adapted for reception of theloaded receptacle, said powered means constituting a receptaclereceiving means having a pair of spaced opposite side walls forreception of a round container, spaced rod means xed transverselythrough'said pair of opposite walls of said receptacle receivingmeansand mounting a plurality of gravity actuated means automaticallyoperable upon operation of the mechanism to retain said container infixed position, additional rod means and gravity actuated means mountedthereon located in vertical alinement with said `irst mentioned rodmeans for accommodating variable size round containers, and means forrotating said receptacle receiving mea-ns to discharge its -contentswhile retaining the empty receptacle therein to be returned to itsinitial position.

3. A mechanical handling mechanism for emptying a receptacle chargedwith a plurality of bulk articles, said mechanism comprising aframework, powered means within said framework adapted for reception offthe loaded receptacle, said powered means constituting a universalreceptacle receiving means for receptacles of a circular or wheeledrectangular truck type, selectively, said universal receptacle receivingmeans including spaced guide and/or support means for each of saidreceptacle types, said guide means for directing said wheeled truck typereceptacle fixed to the bottom Wall of the receptacle receiving means, asecond guide means duplicate in height tc said rst named guide meansalso fixed to the bottom of said receptacle receiving means and inspaced relation to said iirst guide means for supporting a at bottom ofsaid circular receptacle in level position thereon, and means forrotating said receptacle receiving means to discharge its contents whileretaining the empty receptacle therein to be returned to its initialposition.

4. A mechanical handling mechanism for emptying a receptacle chargedwith a plurality of bulk articles, said mechanism comprising aframework, Ipowered means Within said frame- Work adapted for receptionof the loaded receptacle, said powered means constituting a receptaclereceiving means having a pair of spaced opposite side walls forreception of a round container, spaced rod means fixed transverselythrough said pair of opposite walls of said receptacle receiving meansand slidably mounting gravity actuated hook means automatically operableupon operation of the mechanism to retain said container in xedposition, and means for rotating said receptacle receiving means todischarge its contents while retaining the empty receptacle therein tobe returned to its initial position.

5. A mechanical handling mechanism for emptying a receptacle chargedwith a plurality of bulk articles, said mechanism comprising a frameworkconstituting a pair of spaced plate members one of which has arectangular open ing through the wall thereof and a motor supportadjacent the outside face of the other of said members, a receptaclereceiving means disposed. in said framework between said plate membershaving a pouring spout on one side thereof including an axle means fixedthrough a pair of opposite end walls of said receiving means andvjournalled in said plate members, said receptacle receiving means havinga rectangular opening of comparable size and in line with the opening insaid plate member for introduction of the loaded receptacle, a gearfixed to the end of said axle means for rotation there with on theoutside of said plate member adjacent said motor support, reversiblemotor means mounted on said support with a gear xed on the motor shaftand meshed with said axle sha-ft gear for selectively operating thesame, and means for rotating said receptacle receiving means with theloaded receptacle therein to discharge its contents while retaining theempty receptacle to be returned to its initial position.

DAVID R. KEAGY.

